Karla is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Karla means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Karla across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Karla has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Karla is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “free woman”. a feminine form of Karl.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 91,895 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 883 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 287 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 72 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 429 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 62 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Karla per year, United States (1915 to 2025). United States peaked in 1964 (2,066/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (69/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1999 (18/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1988 (14/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1998 (12/yr).
Karla has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1964, when it ranked #341 nationally (given to 2,066 babies that year).
Carole · Carl · Carla · Carly · Karl · Carley · Carlie · Karli
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